September 30th 2014 Barbaric State Pick Kill and Dump Policy in Balochistan

Throughout the month of September, Pakistan’s Army has engaged in a violent military campaign throughout the South-Western regions of Balochistan. Numerous Towns & Villages in the Tump, Turbat, and Panjgur regions have been reduced to smoldering ruins by the Occupational State’s continual shelling. State Forces conduct daily loot & burn operations in rural villages; plundering valuables, killing livestock, abducting the residents, and burning their homes. Countless civilians are abducted and never heard from again. The Baloch countryside has become a chilling dumping ground for the tortured and bullet riddled remains of the disappeared. In the early hours of September 24th State Forces conducted military operations in the rural Panjgur villages of Fateh Ali, Wadano, Zen Koh and Nigaar. Two young students; Khaleel Baloch and Siraj Baloch were abducted by State Agents during the operation. One residents was killed and another injured by gunfire at the time of the operations. In the following days at least four more bodies were recovered in the Panjgur region. Three severely decayed bodies were found dumped near Washbood. The bodies were found stuffed in ‘gunny bags’ and had decomposed beyond recognition. In Panji Kwahn, Panjgur, the bullet riddled remains of Rahmatullah Baloch s/o Lal Mohammad, & r/o Geddar Surab, was found. On September 18th Occupational State Forces conducted a number of military operations in the Turbat and Shapuk regions. State Forces invaded homes, subjected residents to acts of torture and abducted several people. School Teacher Liaqat s/o Murad Baksh, Azad s/o Liaqat, Shafique s/o Sadbar, and Mohammad Khan s/o Dad-ul-allah were among those extra-judicially abducted during the operation. A few days later State Forces abducted another respected educator in Bal Nagor, Turbat. On September 21st Headmaster of government school and renowned Balochi folk singer Rafique Oman Baloch was abducted by a State Agents. Rafique was travelling to the District Education Office in Turbat to submit his student’s examination forms, when he was kidnapped by a State Sponsored Death Squad. Soon after Pakistan’s military operations in the Turbat area, a number of bullet riddled bodies were discovered. Two of the bodies discovered on September 23rd in Pidrak were identified as Bahot s/o Peer Mohammad and Wali Mohammad s/o Yousuf. Both victims were residents of Gwarkop, Balochistan. Two days later on September 25th State Agents abducted an 11 year old boy in the Turbat region. Roshan s/o Rozi r/o Hoshap was travelling on a bus from Turbat when he was snatched by State Agents. Elsewhere in Balochistan, the mutilated remains of the disappeared continue to be discovered at an alarming rate. On September 25th a body later identified as Khalid was found dumped in the Chagai region. The remains of Baloch Khan were recovered in Kalat after he was gunned down on September 24th by unidentified gunmen. In the Passani area two severely decomposed bodies were discovered on September 23rd. On September 22nd 2014 the bullet riddled remains of Nasir Bugti were found in the Sui area of Dera Bugti. Two unidentified bodies were found riddled with bullets and dumped on September 20th. One was found in the Washbod area of Panjgur, and the other in the Tump area of Turbat. The bodies of four abducted Baloch civilians were recovered on September 21st in Khuzdar, Balochistan. The remains of Abdul Aziz Mengal, Khalil Langov Baloch, Liaqat Baloch and another unidentified body were found dumped in the Wadh area of Khuzdar. Local tribal leader Abdul Aziz Mengal, his son Zahid and nephew Yousad Baloch were abducted earlier that day in the Lop area of Wadh. Khalil Baloch and Liaqat Baloch were abducted from the Wahiran area of Wadh on August 25th. Abdul Aziz Mengal was a close personal companion of pro-independent Baloch leader Mir Javed Mengal. As more and more bodies are found dumped throughout Balochistan; the rate of enforced disappearances steadily increases. The remains of Ghouz Baksh and Gulam Ali Baloch were discovered in Turbat on September 29th. Ghouz Baksh was abducted a day earlier in the Pidrak area of Turbat along with his two brothers Mohammad Baloch and Meyaar Baloch. The remains of Mussa Khan Mengal were recovered today in Zarocha. In Nall, Khuzdar, the remains of Gulam Rasool were also discovered yesterday. Meanwhile in Panjgur, Sabir Baloch was kidnapped at gunpoint. In Kech, Three women were wounded by unidentified gunmen firing from the Dasht River. Abdul Salam was killed today by unidentified gunmen in the Rodinjo area of Kalat today. On September 26th Mir Basham Bugti was abducted by State Agents in Kashmor. Two people were recently abducted in the Gwadar area. On September 22nd Nasir s/o Badal was abducted by State Agents and on September 21st unidentified gunmen boarded a bus travelling from Bal Nago, kappar to Gwadar and abducted a passenger named Akbar. In Shai, Tump, school teacher in Ghani Baloch was abducted on September 17th. In Quetta Abdul Majid was abducted by unidentified gunmen on September 15th. On September 14th Occupational State Forces conducted raids and search operations in Kalat. According to local reports more than a dozen residents were abducted during the operation. Among those missing is a local Sheppard named Abdul Hameed. Baloch National Front held shutter-down strikes and demonstrations on September 28th to protest the enforced abductions and extra judicial executions of Baloch political activists. Strikes and demonstrations were held in Turbat, Gwadar, Mand, Tump, Buleda, Awaran, Hoshap, Panjgur, Kalat, Mongacher, Jahu, Mashkay, Kharan, Quetta and numerous other towns & villages across Balochistan. Baloch businesses and offices were closed for the day in observation of the strike call. On September 23rd Baloch Republican Party – Germany chapter activists held demonstrations in Germany to protest enforced disappearances in Balochistan and demand the safe release of the nearly 2000 Baloch abductees from Pakistan’s torture cells. The next day BRP-Italy representative Shoaib Baloch held a demonstration and information session to create awareness of the human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, and extra-judicial executions in Balochistan. BRP-Germany will be holding another protest in front of Kölner Dom in Köln city Germany on October 18th 2014 from 2:00pm until 5:00pm. Tahir Hussain, Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission in Quetta, Balochistan, issued a statement on September 26th. In his statement, Tahir said “Balochistan has become most dangerous area for journalists of the world. Killings of journalists were continuing and over 40 journalists have been killed in their jihad of pen (its means journalist used their pen for justice and human rights) while rulers were extending mere lip service.” Additionally Advocate Tahir Hussain further expressed solidarity with the journalists at their hunger strike camp outside Balochistan Assembly in Quetta. In late October of 2013 Mama Qadeer and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons set out on a 2000km long march from Quetta to Karachi and on to Islamabad in protest of the over 18,000 abducted Baloch civilians. Since then, that number has rose to over 20,000 victims of enforced abductions and more than 2000 victims of extra judicial executions in Balochistan. Although some of the people Pakistan’s Agents abduct torture and execute are Baloch political activists, most of the victims are civilians who are not affiliated or involved with the guerilla movement. One such instance is the recent abduction of BSO-Azad chairman Zahid Baloch in March. Since his abduction, BSO-Azad CC Member Lateef Johar staged a 45 day hunger strike to protest the BSO leader’s extrajudicial abduction and demand his safe release. Zahid Baloch’s family has also been engaged in a sit-in in Islamabad in hopes of facilitating the safe recovery of Zahid Baloch. Human Rights advocates, Baloch nationalists, and Social media activists continue their online campaign to create awareness of the Pakistan’s relentless human rights abuses in Balochistan and urge the international community to demand Pakistan immediately cease all military operations in Balochistan and unconditionally release all detained abductees. - Shawn Forbes